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December 31 NIGHTMARE OF FLIGHT 814 A very ill Khurana returns home But the family will only celebrate the occasion after all the passengers held hostage aboard the Airbus 300 in Kandahar are released, his wife Neeru said. Hijack is remote controlled: Intelligence Indications are that besides the usual suspect - Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence - Chhota Shakeel, a Dawood liuetnant who has a wide network in Nepal, is providing logistic support to the operation. Desperate relatives now turn to the Almighty for succour The group of about 50 relatives today hired a tourist bus and visited temples, churches, mosques and gurudwaras, seeking divine intervention. A hijacker goes down memory lane The man who hijacked an IA flight in 1981, any hasty step in Amritsar could have been catastrophic. Kuwait calls it 'condemnable terrorist act' In a statement to the Kuwait news agency, minister of state for foreign affairs Sulaiman Majid Al-Shaheen said Kuwait, which was a victim of such terrorist acts, knew very well the gravity of such acts. 'Katju is the best possible negotiator' To make the negotiation process more difficult, the hijackers are communicating only through the pilot. 'Talks are now extremely delicately poised' The negotiations were on the brink of breaking down early on Thursday morning, Union External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh admitted this evening. The mysterious call of Dec 24 Someone identified himself as G Lal, joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs, and asked the Amritsar airport officials to refuel the plane forthwith. 'We should not treat their warnings as empty threats' UN intermediary Erick de Mul in an exclusive conversation with rediff.com One hostage released for medical treatment, returns to plane Earlier, armed troops surrounded the hijacked Indian Airlines Airbus, but Taliban sources said there was nothing unusual about the move. Kathmandu denies Nepali involvement "I categorically rule out any Nepalese involvement in the hijack," Foreign Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said. Caught on a hijacked plane? Relax Each individual involved in an incident of this type will have an impact on the eventual outcome, and one wrong move by either a victim or a perpetrator could easily result in a disaster rather than a peaceful conclusion to the incident. Govt denies reports of militants' release Scotching reports to this effect, the external affairs ministry spokesman said, ''There is no such agreement.'' Clinton may call off visit: LA Times The daily said the hijacking was likely to have political repercussions across South Asia and could even quash President Clinton's plans to visit the region next year. Another honeymoon couple aboard Flight 814 Ipsita and Vipin Menon, an assistant commissioner (exports and imports) in the commerce ministry in New Delhi, who got married on December 11, set out on a five-day honeymoon to the Himalayan kingdom on December 20. MESSAGE BOARD 'VP Singh set a very bad example when he was PM' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'It is scary to think what the 35 terrorists would do if they were released' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'Indians are and will always be ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation' Readers respond to our Message Board. SPECIALS 'The Taleban views the hijack as an opportunity to distance itself from Pakistan' Since the end of the Kargil war in July 1999, the Taleban realised that Pakistan's profile has undergone a dramatic change. Pakistan is no longer a welcome guest anywhere, is a rogue army, and is using the Taleban as a part of its security agenda. COLUMN Them and Us 'As the response to the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and to this hijacking proves, there's one rule for us mere mortals, and one rule for them,' says Krishna Prasad. December 30
NIGHTMARE OF FLIGHT 814
MESSAGE BOARD 'Please for God's sake save those 150 people' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'Never give in to terrorist demands' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'The relatives' behaviour is understandable --- they are under emotional pressure' Readers respond to our Message Board. The passengers on IA Flight 814 Names of all the 174 passengers and 11 crew. Chronology of hijackings in India
SPECIAL What makes a terrorist tick? 'The potential militant is trapped in a mental crossfire -- the fear of two guns -- one in the hand of security forces and the other held by active militants. The psychological dilemma intensifies till it becomes intolerable to live in the present. Sooner or later the die is cast; the Devil wins.' What is an Auxiliary Power Unit? All you wanted to know about the APU that has made so much news. COLUMNS Steel in the soul, anyone? 'No doubt, Maulana Masood is a prize catch. It is possible that allowing him to go scot-free could give the committed terrorists in the valley a boost of morale. Despite this, to me, it seems that the nation has the resilience to emerge from any calamity that may spring from the release of one man,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy. A Fairy Tale Export Item 'The immediate hope of export from our education field seems to lie in institutions offering courses in ancient Indian civilisation, the study of Sanskrit and our scriptures, classical music and dancing, yoga and ayurveda. But nothing would be possible even in these areas unless these institutions and the government apply their mind and soul to the issue,' says Arvind Lavakare. OTHER REPORTS Commandos storm SGO HQ in Srinagar, kill extremists Army commandos and paramilitary troops stormed the complex of the Special Operations Group at Haftchinar and shot dead the three militants holed up inside the building. Red alert on Indo-Pak border Border Security Force sources said "anything can happen anywhere, so we are on full alert. But the situation is very much under control". Sonia denied entry to Akal Takht The Akal Takht was damaged during Operation Bluestar in 1984 and the Akalis hold Indira Gandhi, her family and the Congress responsible for that. December 28 'It looks like something may happen tonight' A civil aviation officer at Kandahar said after almost three days' wait the Indian authorities are now looking in charge of the situation. Indian team begins talks with hijackers Indian negotiators, who flew into Kandahar on Monday aboard a relief Airbus A300 aircraft, have started negotiations with the hijackers holding 160 people hostage on Indian Airlines Flight 814. Government spirits look up, finally 'This is a game of nerves. These are deliberately taken steps to gain the maximum advantage, so that when we start talking, it is we who will hold the aces. So far all of them were held by the hijackers, but now some are coming our way.' Govt wants to wear out hijackers The aim of the government is to wear out the hijackers, to go slow on their demands, yet ensure the safety of the passenger. 'Hostages will be freed, plane blown up' An intelligence intercept from the Kashmir valley between Hizbul Mujahiddin and Lashkare-Toiba activists gives government breathing space. Taliban chief tells hijackers to surrender or go The Taliban leader is reported to have made known his stand to the hijackers, although the latter's response is still not known. Parties leave final decision to government However, they cautioned the government that whatever decision it takes must be taken keeping in mind the interests and safety of the passengers who were on board the star-crossed aircraft. Musharraf denies Pak involvement in hijacking He said the Indian leaders' accusations were a pathetic attempt at hiding their own failure in rescuing passengers at Amritsar where the hijacked plane had stopped for over 50 minutes before it was flown to Dubai and then to Kandahar in Afghanistan. Flat-footed government exposed by hijack From the moment information of the hijacking reached air traffic control in New Delhi a few minutes before 1700 IST on December 24, a series of goof-ups and indecision has marked the official response. Punjab officials deny goof-up at Amritsar The civil and police administrations in Chandigarh today denied reports that the situation arising out of the landing of the hijacked aeroplane at Raja Sansi airport in Amritsar on December 24 was not handled properly. Flight 814 smells like sick bay Quoting Taliban civil aviation authority spokesman Mohammed Khiber, CNN reports that 'inside the air is very bad and it smells like people have been sick'. How long can Captain Sharan hold on? On normal duty, a pilot is required to fly non-stop only for seven hours. Captain D Sharan has long crossed that. He has been at the controls of the hijacked plane for over 63 hours now -- how much longer can he hold on? What is the fuel injection part? Jet injection is that part which will mix the fuel with the air in the combustion chamber. Hijackers did not board flight under aliases At least three of the six hijackers whose identities were confirmed by the government figure in the list of passengers who boarded the plane at Kathmandu on Friday. And the Nepalese hijacker, Gopal Tamrakar, figures at number 148. The Devil's Alternative 'Whatever the decision, some innocent lives will be lost. We must give out a clear message that any further inhuman treatment to the passengers will be met with ruthless retribution,' says Wg Cdr R V Parasnis (retd). Masood prefers to be known as Islamic cleric The much-in-demand Masood, who hails from Kousar Colony B in Modern Town area of Bahawalpur in Punjab province of Pakistan is not a big name in Kashmir, unlike other foreign militants. Pak police question Maulana Azhar's father Maulana Azhar's father Maulana Allah Bux and his brother Mohammad Tahir were taken away by the police from their home in Bahawalpur, the Dawn reported. 'Various people failed at various stages' Former chief of the elite National Security Guards, Ramdeo Tyagi, said more money needs to be spent on security at various airports. Hijackers refuse to free Rupin's widow "We haven't come here to release one or two people," one of them said. "We want to resolve the issue with the Indian government thoroughly." Russia calls for special UN meeting Diplomats, however, said such a meeting may not take place before Monday. A British diplomat said in absence of a formal request in this regard, the meeting was unlikely to take place at a short notice.
MESSAGE BOARD 'We should do an operation a la Entebbe whatever the consequences' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'The best course of action would be to storm the plane and rescue the hostages' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'The Govt should avail of all diplomatic means to get the passengers released' Readers respond to our Message Board. The passengers on IA Flight 814 Names of all the 174 passengers and 11 crew. Chronology of hijackings in India
REDIFF DIARY Silent night, holy night... 'Why do such things happen only here? Sometimes a child gets crushed to death on an escalator, sometimes a plane is hijacked. Why do all these things happen only in Hindustan?' COLUMNS More Betrayal 'What the whole experience has taught me is that some Sikhs do hate Hindus with a rage unparalleled. And that's the fountainhead of Khalistan...' says Varsha Bhosle. OTHER REPORTS Counter-insurgency HQ in Srinagar attacked One police official was killed and many injured when Kashmir separatists launched a sudden attack on the headquarters of the Indian Police's counter-insurgency wing in Srinagar. Dr Sharma to be cremated on Tuesday His body has been kept in state at his 23, Safdarjung Road residence for friends, relatives and admirers to pay their homage. Cabinet meets, pays homage to S D Sharma While no details were forthcoming as to the deliberations over the hijack, lest the hijackers be tipped off about the government's hand, reliable sources say the government is planning disciplinary action against some senior civil servants, holding them accountable for the hijack crisis. Hijack drama looms large over BJP conclave With Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declining to attend the inaugural day's session and his public meeting tomorrow also doubtful, the conclave, which at one stage threatened to divide the party on ideological lines, is likely to end peacefully. BJP's executive meets in-camera Thakre told newsmen before going in for the meeting that the executive would set the party's agenda for the next millennium. Defeated Pak general wants fresh inquiry into 1971 war General Niazi had surrendered along with 93,000 troops and civilians. He appeared before the commission after his release from India but says the commission asked him all irrelevant questions. December 27 We will not bend to pressure: PM The prime minister told the relatives that UN official Erik de Mul, who visited the aircraft at Kandahar on Sunday, had found the passengers safe. Taleban wants Flight 814 out of Afghanistan The government of Afghanistan has termed the visit of the United Nations delegation to Kandahar a failure, and implied that India was prolonging the hostage crisis. India points an accusing finger at Pakistan External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said his views on Pakistan's role in the hijacking were based on the past where both terrorist and criminal acts were used to secure the release of jailed militants. Diabetic passenger released But Anil Khurana said he would not leave until his brother and other passengers on Flight 814 were released by the hijackers. 'Let baba not feel the chill' Family struggles to come to terms with Rupin Katyal's death Rachana may not know of Rupin's killing Soon after Flight 814 was hijacked, a passenger said, the male passengers were brought up front and everyone was ordered to keep their heads bowed. No passenger had a clear idea of what was happening and to whom. Relatives storm Jaswant's meeting Relatives of passengers on board Flight 814 stormed External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's press conference this afternoon, saying the government was not keeping them informed about what is being done to rescue their family members and friends. 'Can people under severe mental strain like us take further governmental callousness?' 'Release these captives and save 150 lives, otherwise the nation will never forgive this government,' says Dr Sanjeev Chibber, who disrupted Jaswant Singh's press conference this evening. 'One of them started stabbing me...' 'When the authorities dilly-dallied about refuelling at Amritsar, they started a countdown. The moment they counted zero someone yelled, "Kill him!" ' says Satnam Singh, who was injured by the hijackers. They were called Burger, Doctor, Duphtar... 'A Kashmiri woman asked one of the hijackers what had they done to Rupin. "Maine itna bola chup hone ke liye. Baar baar bola chup ho jao, sunta nahin. Abhi tho chup ho gaya." It was about half an hour before we landed at Dubai.' What gives the hijackers the upper hand? Five hijackers with a kitchen knife, a 1940-made pistol and a hand grenade. They have managed to hold an aircraft and 157 lives at ransom for nearly 50 hours now. 'There is no way the hijackers could have passed six hours on the tarmac' Indian Airlines Kathmandu manager Lalchand denies that four IA personnel have been suspended for the security lapse that led to the hijack. Operation 'clean-up' at Kathmandu airport Nepal's tourism and civil aviation minister today ordered closure of all shops contracted for business on the TIA premises. These include the forex outlet, the duty-free shop, a restaurant and some retail outlets for food and beverages in the departure lounge. Misinformation, delay led to hijackers getting away The plane was in Indian skies for about three hours after it was hijacked 'and that is enough time for carrying out a crack operation,' sources pointed out. Aircraft on standby to bring back passengers An Indian Airlines A320 aircraft has been positioned at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with crew on standby, to take off if there is word that the hostages of the hijacked IA flight 814 are being released in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Harkat ul Ansar: Growth and metamorphosis Result of the union two organisations, the Harkat ul Mujahideen and the Harkat ul Jehadi Islami, the Harkat ul Ansar, it gained sufficient notoriety to be declared a terrorist outfit by the US. 26har UN's British expert on Afghanistan offers to resolve stalemate Asked whether he was satisfied over the progress made so far and the way the authorities have handled the hijack crisis, Tesoriere said his official ambassadorial position would not permit him to comment. Station manager denies lapse on part of Kathmandu IA Indian Airlines Kathmandu station manager Lal Chand today denied there was any lapse on the part of IA staffers which might have helped the hijackers board Flight 814. MESSAGE BOARD 'The govt should directly talk with the hijackers and secure the passengers' without succumbing to their demands' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'Distract the hijackers, storm the plane, shoot the criminals and rescue the hostages' Readers respond to our Message Board. MESSAGE BOARD 'An SOP must be in place, formulated without a second's delay' Readers respond to our Message Board. The list of passengers released The names of 26 passengers released by the hijackers in Dubai. The passengers on IA Flight 814 Names of all the 174 passengers and 11 crew. Chronology of hijackings in India
December 26 Released hostages return to Delhi From the debriefing of the passengers, intelligence agencies now believe that the hijackers are armed only with two knives, two pistols and two grenades. Hijackers threaten to crash plane if forced to leave Afghanistan Denying any role in the incident, Pakistan has 'begun talks' with the Taliban to end the crisis. A senior Afghan minister and Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul are said to be involved in the negotiations. Hijackers demand Maulana Masood Azhar's release He was general secretary of the Harkat-ul-Ansar. According to the authorities in Srinagar he was a journalist in an Urdu newspaper in Pakistan before he joined the militant outfit. 'I have lost my son, please bring back my daughter-in-law' The hijackers killed 25-year-old Rupin Katyal. 'I did not hear any gunshots' An eyewitness account of the hijacking. Kashmir-watchers puzzled by the Islamic Salvation Front As a name, it draws inspiration from the Algerian outfit with the same name, the FIS (the initials are in French) which has been involved in a seven-year battle with the Algerian army that now runs the country. 4 Kathmandu airport officials arrested for helping hijackers It is widely acknowledged that had it not been for the abysmal inefficiency of the Nepalese airport authorities the hijackers could not have boarded the plane with AK 47 rifles and grenades. India could have done an Entebbe at Amritsar There is an urgent need to have a SOP -- Standard Operating Procedure -- which automatically goes into action the moment such a crisis occurs,' said retired air commodore Uday Bhaskar. India had been warned of the hijacking It is now known that the United States' Central Intelligence Agency had more than a month ago alerted Indian authorities of plans by Islamic/Kashmiri militants to carry out some sensational action like hijacking. 'They were ruthless' Another eyewitness account. Hijackers demand once-formidable Kashmiri militant's release Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar was the chief commander of the Al-Umar militant outfit. Govt blasted for dilly-dallying Major General (retired) Afsar Karim said the government should not have allowed the aircraft to take off from Amritsar. 'Maybe there would have been a couple of casualties, but most of the passengers and crew would have been saved.' 8 crew members hail from Hyderabad They have been identified as co-pilot Rajinder Kumar, airhostesses Rajani, Sabita, Mukherjee, Kalpana Majumdar, Debnath and Menon and flight purser Sateesh. Centre in touch with Taliban External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said New Delhi was in touch with the Afghanistan civil aviation minister. The list of passengers released The names of 26 passengers released by the hijackers in Dubai. The passengers on IA Flight 814 Names of all the 174 passengers and 11 crew. Chronology of hijackings in India December 25 IA flight hijacked, 4 passengers killed, 5 hurt The plane landed at a military base in the UAE late at night after refuelling in Lahore and being refused permission to land in Afghanistan and Oman. 'Normally, it's a war of nerves' 'As pilots, our first instructions are, as far as possible, to do what hijackers want us to do, to simply follow their instructions and ensure that everybody is safe,' says Captain S T Deo, former regional director of Indian Airlines. Tense relatives await news of Flight 814 Relatives of the passengers alleged that the authorities deliberately kept them in the dark and refused to give information about the flight's fate though BBC and Star News confirmed the news of the hijacking much earlier. Chronology of hijackings in India Naxalites blow up railway station in Bihar Property in and around the station was destroyed and both up and down lines were damaged. The extremists also torched the nearby cabin, throwing the signalling system out of gear. Goa's millennium rave party is stillborn The Goa bench of the Bombay high court observed that neither Jeh Wadia nor Norman Azavedo, the restaurant contractor, had sought any permission to occupy over 80,000 square metres of government and communidade land or to hold the musical event for 10 days. Ex-minister jailed on graft charges The case goes back to 1990 when the late Biju Patnaik, then chief minister, ordered vigilance raids on 12 members of the previous J B Patnaik ministry. Though charges against three ministers, including J B Patnaik, were withdrawn soon after, cases against the rest were pending. CBI catches up with fugitive IRS officer Ashok Aggarwal, former deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate, who is believed to have amassed more than Rs 2500 million by blackmailing top industrialists of north India, was arrested from a hotel in Saharanpur, UP, where he was hiding under an assumed name. BJP divisions may come to the fore at Madras With the 'Hindutva' issues revived in the just-concluded winter session of Parliament, the upcoming BJP national executive may provide the forum for the moderates and extremists within the organisation, to win over the other. TDP introspects on electoral setbacks Chandrababu Naidu revealed that the party lost 81 out of 90 seats in the last assembly election due to "jealousy, disunity and differences among the local leaders". TDP retains Sirpur in Andhra Pradesh The election was held on December 20 and the counting of votes was taken up yesterday. The TDP candidate maintained a comfortable lead over her rivals right from the first round of counting. Thakre appoints new BJP office-bearers Madanlal Khurana, Ramdas Agrawal and Bhavna Chikalia were appointed party vice-presidents. Sonia revamps Congress Senior leaders Pranab Mukherjee, Madhavrao Scindia and R K Dhawan have been divested of their positions as general secretaries. But they continue to be CWC members. Life hits a road-block for stunt rider In 1992 Prasad and his team of 142 daredevil riders formed what has gone down in record books as the biggest human pyramid on 11 mobikes in motion. Today he is a forgotten hero. Rs 2,386 cr power project for Bihar Vajpayee was speaking at an election rally at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan. THE REDIFF SPECIALS Millennium churning in CPI-M Though a player only in West Bengal politics, the key man leading this revolt is Subhash Chakraborty. The Patiala royal family and the case of the missing turban An anonymous buyer was reported to have bought the said headgear -- studded with diamonds, emeralds and rubies -- at a Christie's auction in London in the first week of November. An ode to the humble earthworm The disappearance of the 'friend of the farmer' could prove to be the greatest loss of the millennium, according to Mewalal, an expert. THE REDIFF DIARY Capital capers Battles over the IT policy; M M Joshi's pets and peeves; Uma Bharti's millennium blues; media updates. A cross-eyed look at the goings-on in Dilli. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS The Bofors conundrum continues 'The Hindujas may have received commissions from Bofors for deals unconnected to India. They are, after all, businessmen with dealings all over the globe,' says T V R Shenoy. Lingua Fracas 'In any state of India, or in any nation with large uneducated sections, teaching in local languages is imperative to eradicating illiteracy,' says Ashwin Mahesh. The Attitude of Relief 'If Orissa is to be anything better than miserably poor -- which better situation this cyclone offers the opportunity to achieve -- it deserves longer, deeper interest,' says Dilip D'Souza. December 24 Naxalites kill 12, including five cops, in Bihar Home Minister L K Advani assured the states of all help in tackling the problem of Naxalism, but made it clear that fighting it would remain their responsibility. Many VVIPs to be shorn of special security According to home ministry sources, the number of VIPs enjoying Z-plus category security will be cut drastically. Women's bill introduced in LS amidst chaos Opponents of the measure even snatched some papers from the hands of Law Minister Ram Jethmalani and tore them up. But Jethmalani had hidden the bill under his desk. HC refuses to delete Rajiv's name from chargesheet Justice Cyriac Joseph said the late prime minister was accused of criminal conspiracy in the case and the CBI had only done its duty under section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code. US sees 'increasing' Osama role in Kashmir "He may be the most dangerous, but not the only one," Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth said. Death haunts foreign tourists in Varanasi As many as 11 tourists have been found dead in mysterious circumstances in this temple town since 1997. Badal to expand Cabinet soon The chief minister is taking the step because he faces dissent from within the party after it virtually split earlier this year following his showdown with Gurcharan Singh Tohra. DF candidate elected Maharashtra dy speaker Congress MLA Pramod Shende defeated his nearest rival Anil Gote of the Samajwadi Janata Party (Maharashtra). Shende polled 152 votes, while Gote secured 131. Four ballot papers were found blank. Southern Baptists flay Clinton "Apparently because the President has very few convictions, he harbours deep resentment against those who do," Paige Patterson said. THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'It should have by now become clear that a mosque cannot come up at Ayodhya' "Whatever the government may say, there is no denying that they [reforms] are being implemented on the dictates of the Western powers," says nominated Rajya Sabha member 'Cho' S Ramaswamy. THE REDIFF SPECIAL Terror at Midnight Mass gatherings to celebrate the passing of a century would provide ideal targets for terrorist groups. In India the targets could be India Gate in Delhi, Chowringhee in Calcutta and the Gateway of India in Bombay. North-East awaits its second independence The region, most of it then known as Assam, was the last to be occupied by the British. Ironically, it also happens to be among those which has had to pay the highest price for Independence. THE REDIFF DIARY Kamala Das, veiled "I've got a special Pakistani suit made," she said simply. "If there's any trouble, I shall simply wear that. Nobody will even guess that I'm Indian." Anvar Alikhan looks behind the purdah. THE REDIFF COLUMNIST Annus Horribilis 'The thing that shocked me most about Orissa was the uncaringness of the entire nation. The money collected was a fraction of what was collected for Kargil. Why did nobody care? Because these were not 'people like us',' asks Rajeev Srinivasan. December 23 That thing about Vajpayee-Advani again The resurfacing of the controversy, when everything seemed to be going well for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, has shaken the party's top leadership. Goa's biggest millennium party in trouble The state government ordered demolition of the tents and dance platforms erected over a sprawling area of Anjuna beach -- site of the party -- but stopped the drive after receiving a wireless message from Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha. Govt is 'very serious' about Sikh riot probe The Union home minister said a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court would head the new commission. The names of Justice Kuldeep Singh and some other prominent judges are being mentioned in this regard. Kumaratunga sworn in as Lanka president She polled 51.12 per cent of the votes while her main rival, Ranil Wickremesinghe of the UNP, took 42.71 per cent. Women's quota bill to be tabled on Thursday Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said his party would oppose the introduction of the bill. Ram temple ceremony peaceful Despite heavy security, hundreds of HJM workers participated in the ceremony at Halmodi village in Vyara taluka of Gujarat's Surat district this afternoon. Pak building posts on border: Fernandes The matter has been taken up with Pakistan Rangers, the defence minister said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. THE REDIFF SPECIAL A judge, a gangster and a telephone call The crime branch played the taped conversation between Judge Singh and Karachi-based gangster Chhota Shakeel before a shocked Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal of the Bombay high court. 'Arresting a judge is always a dicey matter' A first information report is not sufficient indictment, explains Deputy Commissioner of Police R G Kadam, who is spearheading the investigation against Additional Judge J W Singh. THE GREAT LOTTERY SCAM -- VI Kola Mohan wrote to Vajpayee seeking tax concessions Congress spokesman Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu too had written to Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, urging him to exempt the Euro lottery winner from income tax. THE REDIFF COLUMNIST Another stupid ban 'Matka ends up as a crime while horse racing is a wonderful sport. The matka operator is a criminal simply because his clients are not dressed in Armani suits, do not speak English, and would not know how to uncork a bottle of champagne after winning,' says Pritish Nandy. December 22 THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'I do not want to be a hijra' 'I intend to clean up the system. We are determined to fight corruption in Indian society and we will take whatever measures that may be necessary to do our job.' Central Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal in an exclusive interview to rediff.com OTHER REPORTS 'Flying coffins' continue to take a heavy toll Among those killed in the MiG-21crashes are pilots who precision-bombed tiny bunkers atop the Kargil heights during Operation Vijay. Bihar varsities exist in a time warp Thanks mainly to the populist measures adopted by successive governments, the higher education system in the state is on the verge of collapse. Millennium offer of safe passage for ULFA men begins The offer came following Governor S K Sinha's decision to extend the scheme to ULFA chairman Aurbindo Rajkhowa and commander-in-chief Paresh Barua at the request of their parents. Mulayam & Co disrupt LS over Women's Bill The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal are demanding a quota for OBCs within the reservation proposed for women in higher elected bodies. Such reservation has already been effected in the village and district councils. UP govt cracks down on land sharks, conniving officials Housing and Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon said property worth Rs 20,000 million is in illegal occupation all over the state. Property worth Rs 1,000 million was reclaimed through incentives to employees to bring such cases to light, he added. Proposed bill more draconian than TADA: PUDR "The bill makes a radical departure in introducing offences punishable even with death while doing away with standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt," the organisation's spokespersons said. Sri Lanka polls peaceful Some 11.8 million Sri Lankans were eligible to vote for 13 candidates to elect a new president. THE REDIFF SPECIAL Two teenagers and the seventeenth Karma Pa According to the Tibetan Buddhist belief, after the demise of a lama or Karma Pa, his soul is reborn and it is for the priests to recognise the successor. THE GREAT LOTTERY SCAM -- V Bankers wanted Kola Mohan's money, he was eyeing theirs The bankers, understandably, are reluctant to talk about Kola Mohan. They are unwilling to answer questions like how they lent him money without trying to verify his claims of having won the Euro Lottery. THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS Babri case: Vajpayee's lonely escapism 'If Vajpayee had even a bit of the grit of Indira Gandhi, the manipulator, and Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of morality, he would have seized the Opposition's demand for ministerial resignations with both hands,' says Arvind Lavakare. The stuff CBI is made of 'The probe into the Abhishek Verma affair shows that the premier investigating agency has finally acquired a backbone.' Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi Durbar. December 21 Bofors papers submitted to Delhi court Highly placed sources said the CBI is expected to take two weeks to scrutinise the papers -- once it gets them -- and five weeks to file supplementary chargesheets. Mulayam Singh opposes CTBT Observers say the government would like to give the US an assurance at the next Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbott talks that a consensus has been achieved and India will sign the treaty at a convenient time. Goa govt adds fizz to the millennium party In a sweeping move, it rationalised the excise duty structure in the state, bringing the rates of liquor brought in from other states on par with brands manufactured locally. Dawood had agreed to surrender: Advani But the government rejected his proposal of conditional surrender, the Union home minister told the Lok Sabha. DMK, MDMK distinguishes between BJP, Vajpayee These parties, along with the Telugu Desam Party and the Trinamul Congress, are ensuring that the hardliners in the BJP don't step out of line. Walkout over Women's Reservation Bill The Lower House was plunged into noisy scenes when Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi took strong exception to the inordinate delay in the introduction of the bill. Freedom of Information Bill ready: Jaitley Inaugurating the Third National Conference of Regional News Media in New Delhi, Jaitley said an open society and a liberal democracy could function only if there was complete transparency. Mulayam gives Kalyan the cold shoulder In an attempt to monopolise the backward castes platform, the former defence minister and Samajwadi Party chief has demanded 54 per cent reservation for the OBCs in government jobs, education and the judiciary. International university to be set up at Nalanda Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters that the human resource development ministry was working out a detailed plan in association with the Japanese government in this regard. Dong in Arunachal will herald millennium Dawn will break over Dong at 0554 hours and 11 seconds on January 1, 2000, while Katchal in the Andaman and Nicobar islands will receive the first rays of the sun at 0600 hours -- almost six minutes later. Khus-khus gets him 10 years in prison Mohammed Abdul Kaleem Bahadur's plea that he was unaware that the Indian spice is banned in the UAE failed to impress the court. By-poll in AP passes off peacefully The by-poll was caused by the murder of TDP candidate and sitting legislator Palvai Purushottam Rao along with his three gunmen in his hometown on September 15 by Naxalites. THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'How many of the former untouchables are present in the top echelons of the private sector?' 'It [reservations] is a bit like the bus system in India. Those who manage it or make policy for it never actually travel by bus, moving about in private cars, so how do they know what the needs of the passengers are,' asks Prof D L Sheth, former member of the first National Backward Classes Commission, in the third and concluding part of his interview. THE GREAT LOTTERY SCAM -- IV Kola Mohan's house of cards It is not difficult to locate Kola Mohan's house. The imposing three-storeyed building with a huge iron gate and granite work quite fits his image -- the man who liked all the good things in life. THE REDIFF COLUMNIST Betrayal 'The destruction of the Babri by Hindus is "vandalism," but the terrorism of Khalistanis and Kashmiri Muslims is a "resurgence of sub-nationalities". They set the stage -- and the Sikhs danced. What a tragedy...' says Varsha Bhosle. Archives |
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